amf hercules..or Ross Eurotour...worth it? how old do you think?

So this older guy wants $25 for this Amf Hercules. I would love to know how old it is and if it's worth fixing up to ride with my wife... or there is the Ross Eurotour for $45. Any info on both would be AWESOME!! see pics attached... Thanks!!

If the Ross has a Shimano 3-speed I'd avoid it. It's generally felt that they weren't as rugged as the Sturmeys. Depending on how deep that rust is on the Herc, it could be a decent, theft-resistant grocery-getter. If the fit is okay, lose the ape-hanger handlebars and get some cheap North Roads.

Last edited by bernardmarx; 06-16-10 at 04:48 PM.
Reason: mis-spelling

The Hercules is really a relabeled Raleigh Sports. Normally, I would much prefer it, but it looks like heck. I'm not a fan of Ross bikes, but that one looks like it was hardly ridden, so I'd prefer it.

The Hercules may need work far exceeding anything you'd expect. It could be an unpleasant surprise.

The Ross does indeed come with a Shimano hub that was known for bad durability. Parts are unavailable. I say ride it until it fails. You can buy or build a replacement wheel.

I have made this longer than usual because I have not had time to make it shorter. --Blaise Pascal

The A.H. is about 40 years old. Check the threading for the right pedal, stripped out? Need north road bars, and then to shorten the cables and housing. Check the SA hub shifting. The SA hubs sometimes gum up inside, and drowning them with motor oil sometimes loosens them up. Check the wheels..."true"...no "hops"? Brake pads hard and dry like cinder blocks? Tires dry, cracked? Tubes old and porous? Saddle looks embarassing, as does the paint job. Chrome pitted? Keep looking?

The Ross looks nicer, probably needs less work if it needs any. The wheels on those are a PITA to true, though.
Try to pitch the guy for $30. Nice looking bike for you to be seen riding when you are with your wife. Doesn't hurt to keep looking for other bikes.

ya got more pics of both... the herc does seem like it will need just about everything and the ross not much... the Ross does have a shimano 3 speed.... any idea how old it is... see all the pics below. PS been searching a while for bike and in my price range these are the only ones i found so far. Bought the wife an older free spirit and fixed it up, however trying to figure out the rear lace pattern but thats a diff story.

That Hercules is a wreck. If it's that bad cosmetically, it might be as bad mechanically, though I can't say for sure. The opposite applies to the Ross, and no guarantee it's working right, but it seems likely.

I sold those Rosses in about 1979, so it's about 31 years old.

I have made this longer than usual because I have not had time to make it shorter. --Blaise Pascal

Sweet, Ill shoot for 30 bucks and see if he bites... i'm not afraid of a 333 shimano, ill replace it with a SA hub if need be. I mean at least i'll just need mechanical parts with an already solid frame. thanks for all the help!

I like the Hercules. Problem is that even if the guy gives you the bike for free, it will cost more to get it road worthy than it's worth. But, if you could get it for like $15, then if you find that it's not worth saving you might be able to salvage the hubs, shifter, bottom bracket, maybe the fork and the frame. Lots of work for little probability of success or return. The Ross actually looks like a nice, decent bike for tooling around and it probably doesn't need much work. Might be a good deal.

I have a ross eurotour that I am pretty sure is a 1983 Silver with burgandy trim and seat mine is a 5 speed with the shimono front free wheel system. I have heard all the negatives about this bike but, for a run around town bike I like it. mine has a lot of miles running to get a loaf of bread, lawnmower gas and such . I have made a few 25 mile trips on it. I put new tires tubes and brake pads on it when I got it 3-4 years ago and have road the hell out of it with no troubles (I weigh #300)
Roy

I have a ross eurotour that I am pretty sure is a 1983 Silver with burgandy trim and seat mine is a 5 speed with the shimono front free wheel system. I have heard all the negatives about this bike but, for a run around town bike I like it. mine has a lot of miles running to get a loaf of bread, lawnmower gas and such . I have made a few 25 mile trips on it. I put new tires tubes and brake pads on it when I got it 3-4 years ago and have road the hell out of it with no troubles (I weigh #300)
Roy

ya, I won't be doing 25 mile trips... maybe 15 at most.... wife can't hold her own and wears out by then. But I want to get her more involved, I usually mountain bike and I am trying this to get her into biking more with me. nice bike btw.

Depends. The Hercules probably has 26 1-3/8 tires and rims. That's 650A, also called EA3 rim. If the Ross is the same, you could take the rear wheel from the Hercules, along with the SA shifter from the bars and the cable (if it's serviceable) and transfer it to the Ross. Considering the condition of the Hercules, that doesn't sound like a good idea, even if possible. The rims look pretty gross and so do the old zinc plated spokes. The problem with trying to replace the Ross rear hub with the hub from the Hercules is that Raleigh used 32 spoke front wheels and 40 spoke rear wheels so that they could use the same spoke on the front and rear even though the hub flanges were different sizes. That means that it's probably not possible to lace the Hercules rear hub to the Ross rim. That assumes that the Hercules is older than about 1970 (plus or minus) when Raleigh changed to 36/36 spokes, like almost everyone else.

Depends. The Hercules probably has 26 1-3/8 tires and rims. That's 650A, also called EA3 rim. If the Ross is the same, you could take the rear wheel from the Hercules, along with the SA shifter from the bars and the cable (if it's serviceable) and transfer it to the Ross. Considering the condition of the Hercules, that doesn't sound like a good idea, even if possible. The rims look pretty gross and so do the old zinc plated spokes. The problem with trying to replace the Ross rear hub with the hub from the Hercules is that Raleigh used 32 spoke front wheels and 40 spoke rear wheels so that they could use the same spoke on the front and rear even though the hub flanges were different sizes. That means that it's probably not possible to lace the Hercules rear hub to the Ross rim. That assumes that the Hercules is older than about 1970 (plus or minus) when Raleigh changed to 36/36 spokes, like almost everyone else.

the more i look at it the more i'm leaning for the ROSS, even if it's an hour away

Originally Posted by plumberroyI have a ross eurotour that I am pretty sure is a 1983 Silver with burgandy trim and seat mine is a 5 speed with the shimono front free wheel system. I have heard all the negatives about this bike but, for a run around town bike I like it. mine has a lot of miles running to get a loaf of bread, lawnmower gas and such . I have made a few 25 mile trips on it. I put new tires tubes and brake pads on it when I got it 3-4 years ago and have road the hell out of it with no troubles (I weigh #300)
Roy

Here is a ladies version of your bike that I had no problem selling for $100 on CL
It was in very nice condition and with new tires,brakes and such, rode very nice and would see no problem in taking it on a 25+ ride.

I prefer Sturmey Archer hubs over Shimanos, and Hercules over Ross, but in this case I have to vote for the Ross. Like Tom said, the Herc is pretty far gone. I don't know why this is, but I've never seen a Ross that was really classy looking. But they have thick chrome and durable paint and seem to hold up well.

While we're on the subject, what's wrong with the Shimano hubs? Seems to me they are easy to adjust, and when working properly they're a little easier to deal with than the Sturmey Archer. The problem is if something goes wrong inside the hub, you have little chance of finding replacement parts, or instructions for how to overhaul the thing. So if you are really into internally geared hubs, the Sturmey Archer is the way to go, for sure. But if you're just looking for a reliable bicycle, the Shimano hub may do the job just fine.

Ross. But only because it's in ridable condition as-is. The Herk is really thrashed, and except for the S/A hub, I'd pass on such a mess. Looks like it was owned by a ri tard anyway, and probably NEVER got serviced.

I prefer Sturmey Archer hubs over Shimanos, and Hercules over Ross, but in this case I have to vote for the Ross. Like Tom said, the Herc is pretty far gone. I don't know why this is, but I've never seen a Ross that was really classy looking. But they have thick chrome and durable paint and seem to hold up well.

While we're on the subject, what's wrong with the Shimano hubs? Seems to me they are easy to adjust, and when working properly they're a little easier to deal with than the Sturmey Archer. The problem is if something goes wrong inside the hub, you have little chance of finding replacement parts, or instructions for how to overhaul the thing. So if you are really into internally geared hubs, the Sturmey Archer is the way to go, for sure. But if you're just looking for a reliable bicycle, the Shimano hub may do the job just fine.

Nothing really wrong with the older Shimano 3 speeds, except getting parts. I had one bike with the Shimano hub and it took me almost a month to hunt down a working shifter. I can still order shifters for the SA hubs.

Aaron

Webshots is bailing out, if you find any of my posts with corrupt picture files and want to see them corrected please let me know. :(

ok ok ok I want the ross. But contrary to what RHM said, I think this one does look classy. It just looks like it's been in a basement and never riden. looks like new to me. Ok so what do I offer this guy... DIFFERENT sellers.. for just the Ross?

ok ok ok I want the ross. But contrary to what RHM said, I think this one does look classy. It just looks like it's been in a basement and never riden. looks like new to me. Ok so what do I offer this guy... DIFFERENT sellers.. for just the Ross?

Gee. It's $45. Offer him $35 and settle at $40, if you think that $45 is too much (which it isn't)

-E

still stuck in the '80s; '70s were good as well, but i severely dislike tubulars.
I tri...